Walk of protest to oppose Midland industrial waste site, scheduled this Wednesday

Nov 28th, 2011 10:18 AM

Walkers from Martyrs’ Shrine to Midland Town Hall will deliver over 2,500 letters of concern about proposal to build waste site next to heritage and religious landmarks
When & Where - Midland, Ontario, November 30, 2011 10:30 AM - The Walk of Support begins at the Martyrs’ Shrine (16163 Highway12 West, Midland) 12:00 PM - More supporters are expected to join the walk at the North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre (Parking Lot, 527 Len Self Blvd., Midland). 12:30 PM - The walk arrives at the Midland Town Hall at approximately 12:30 PM (575 Dominion Avenue). The letters of concern collected over the past two weeks will be formally submitted to Mayor Gordon McKay, who will be there to receive them at Town Hall. Photo opportunities of: - Mayor McKay and the Town Clerk receiving letters of concern from walkers - walkers departing Martyrs’ Shrine - walkers marching together down King St. towards Town Hall Background Public opposition has been steadily increasing to the proposed building of an outdoor waste transfer and processing site adjacent to the Martyrs’ Shrine and Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Midland, ON. In excess of 2500 individually signed letters of concern have been collected in the past two weeks. The letters are from Midland area residents and a wide range of supporters of Sainte-Marie and the Martyrs’ Shrine across Ontario and Canada. A handful of the letters are from outside Canada. The letters have been carefully collated and will be delivered by the group walking from the Martyrs’ Shrine to Midland Town Hall. Should the waste site receive site plan approval on December 7th by Midland Town Council, it will be built at the doorstep of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons and the Martyrs’ Shrine. These two sites are the largest tourist attractions in the area, bringing in 180,000 visitors annually and employing 127 people throughout the year. The noise and visual impact of the proposed waste site would spoil the peace and beauty of these heritage and religious sites. Wednesday, November 30th is the final day for citizens to register their written concerns about this issue, before the December 7th Town Council meeting. For more information on the walk, prior media coverage and commentary on this issue, visit the Facebook page: Protect the Martyrs’ Shrine/Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons
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For interviews or further information, please contact: Noah Sokol, Environmental Communication Options, at sokoln@ecostrategy.ca, (416) 972-7401 or cell: (416) 805-7720 (on-site number for November 30th)